We believe in the power of hands-on, nature-based experiences to enhance student learning, and we’re eager to partner with you in creating unforgettable outdoor adventures for your students. Whether it’s fostering teamwork, developing leadership skills, or simply encouraging students to engage with the environment in a meaningful way, our courses are designed to inspire and challenge. WildPlay's Mission is to Evolve the Human by helping people be brave enough to change their world as a student, a teacher, a parent ... a human being figuring out this thing called life. The success of our mission is entirely founded on trust; WildPlay is a refuge for adventure seekers, brave beginners, and everyone in between those communities. We do what we say we're going to do - humans go up our course one person and come out changed on the other side - we're here to build confidence that children and teens can take back to their own lives and adapt into leadership qualities.

As a read aloud advocate, I believe in the power of stories to nurture empathy, self-confidence, and imagination in young readers. My award winning books focus on social-emotional themes that support early childhood development, creating meaningful narratives that resonate with children, educators, and parents alike. *Fantastically Me!* (ages 0-8) touches on themes of self-belief and growth mindset. Whereas *Making Friends Together * (ages 0-5) is a board book that addresses kindness and friendship. In my author visits, I bring these stories to life for students up to 2nd grade through engaging, interactive read-aloud sessions, inviting children to explore their own feelings and ideas in a fun, safe environment. For older elementary students, I offer hands-on writing workshops that guide them in crafting their own stories, encouraging self-expression, creativity, and a love for writing. These sessions are designed to inspire confidence in young writers, from filling in imaginative story blanks to creating characters and worlds that spark their curiosity. With each visit, my goal is to leave students not only with a memorable experience but also with the tools and encouragement to tell their own stories.

G’day! We weave Australian cultural arts, core curriculum, character building (kindness, acceptance, ant-bullying and more), motivational speaking and audience participation into super-engaging and interactive shows, workshops and residencies. Since 2003, we've presented 10,000+ programs at schools and other venues nationwide … including all regions of New York ... with countless rave reviews! Our K-12 programs include … 1) Didgeridoo Down Under Show: Australian Music, Culture, Character Building & More! (PreK-12th) 2) Protect the Planet Show: World Music, Earth Science and Ecological Entertainment! (K-9th) 3) Aussie Funk Jam: Didgeridoo Workshop! (2nd-12th) 4) Didgeridoo Residency: Multi-Day Immersive Didge Experience! (3rd-12th) 5) Adventures of the Wild Wolf: Unleash Your Inner Reader & Author! (K-5th) – virtual only We adjust our programs according to grade levels and learning objectives. Please visit www.didgedownunder.com for more info. Our promotional videos are available at www.didgedownunder.com/gallery. We’d love to visit your school during our next New York tour!

The Junkman — the original, Grammy-nominated recycled materials percussionist — and his collection of skateboards, road signs, brake drums, and other unusual items will captivate young minds with a STEAM-driven interactive experience that will entertain while teaching about music, science, the environment, inclusiveness, and kindness. From an hour-long interactive eco-concert with a culminating JunkJam wherein kids play along with The Junkman, to a full day of instrument-making or music-making workshops, or a week to two-week long sound sculpture or music-making residency, he’ll work with you every step of the way to develop and craft a program that best suits your students AND your budget. All The Junkman's programs featured his Help Our Planet (HOP) education initiative, which has garnered awards of excellence from the United Nations, the Federation of Mexico, and the State of Vermont.

Abracabully – The I.C.A.R.E. Program Abracabully is an interactive school assembly that blends magic, storytelling, and powerful lessons to inspire students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The program is built around the I.C.A.R.E. values: Individual, Community, Attitude, Respect, and Empathy. Through amazing illusions and real-life stories, students are entertained while learning how their actions affect others, why kindness matters, and how to make better decisions to build a safer, more supportive school environment. Now in its 11th year, Abracabully has empowered thousands of students to stand up against bullying, show respect, and embrace empathy—making schools stronger, kinder communities.

CAS Kids offers free arts-education to local children with weekly classes. Every Wednesday, children experiment with drawing, painting, and mixed media while learning new techniques and expressing their unique imaginations. Every Thursday, children explore the performing arts through games, improvisation, and acting. They'll build confidence, spark imagination, and learn to work together while bringing stories to life. Every second Saturday of the month, children unleash creativity in the art studio with a variety of drawing, painting, and mixed media workshops. Please visit our website for more information and registration.

Bright Star Touring Theatre has grown to become one of the nation's largest professional touring theaters for young audiences. Bright Star was founded in 2003 and currently expects to serve around 4,000 audiences this year with programming across America and around the world. Bright Star annually offers more than 60 different 45-minute programs ranging from anti-bullying and literary classics to American history and science-based STEM shows. Bright Star is the nation's largest provider of Black History programming and has had the honor of bringing shows to venues as diverse as the National Park Service and the National Archives and to schools and libraries across New York State. This season, our programs include more than 70 shows, including Peter Pan, Winnie-the-Pooh, A Dickens Tale, Bullysaurus Rex, The Story of Anne Frank, The Life of Dr. King, Let It Shine: The American Civil Rights Movement, a bilingual Little Red Riding Hood, and more. In addition to touring productions designed to perform in any space, the company offers theater production camps, theater workshops, residencies, and more. Our shows include comprehensive classroom study guides, post-show Q&A's, and professional actors that join our company from around the country. We are always here to answer questions and help you become acquainted with us and our work! We can't wait to entertain your young audience, as we've done for millions of audience members around the globe.

It’s not just a highly engaging circus-themed school show! And it’s not a normal character education school assembly. While most character ed assemblies focus only on defining character traits and explaining how to use those traits, Diversity Circus goes much deeper. This powerful and effective character assembly will teach your students that every person belongs. “Be Fair, Be Aware, include others, and use Respect” are the four lessons students will learn during the Diversity Circus character education school assembly. This effective elementary character education program also covers Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s character message, Cultural Diversity, Diversity in the Classroom, Being Fair, and more. It’s a perfect program to honor the MLK Holiday, and Black History Month, and to support your school’s PBIS program and anti-bullying efforts. The Diversity Circus character school show uses TONS of audience participation, hilarious comedy, kooky characters, costumes, incredible one-of-a-kind magical illusions, and non-stop hysterical action to engage students and to keep kids talking long after the show is over.

Stitch Buffalo is excited to share our love of textile arts and provide instruction to learners of all ages and skill levels. When you book a class, a Stitch Buffalo instructor will come to your location and provide comprehensive instruction to your group. All supplies for the project are included. Participants will learn fundamental techniques while developing design and collaborative skills in a relaxed environment that encourages exploration and personal expression. Our rextile art projects/skills reflect traditional techniques used in many cultures from around the world. These include: 1. Hand Embroidery 2. Block Printing 3. Pom-Pom Making 4. Jump Rope Making 5. Stencil and Appliqué 6. Macrame 7. Weaving For each of the seven core disciplines, we offer three related projects that correspond to different ages and ability levels: beginner (elementary school); intermediate (middle school); and advanced (high school through adult). We also provide information on the cultural context of each project, including how people from various cultures are practicing these traditional techniques today—right here in New York.

Trust Your Gut Productions, LLC, is a professional theatre company specializing in the creation and support of new works including plays, musicals, cabarets, murder mysteries, site-specific theatre, educational outreach and more. TYGP has a long history of didactic theatre projects, including pieces and projects based around anti-bullying, cyber-etiquette, civic duty, drug and substance awareness, and more. For 6 years, TYGP has run its Summer Academy, based in Gloversville, NY, which provides students ages 9-19 with a 4 week-long pay-what-you-can summer arts camp, during which they receive conservatory-style training in all aspects of performing arts (including playwriting, music composition, acting, dancing, technical theatre, and more) as they endeavor to create, produce, and perform their own, original musical adaptation of a piece of world literature. We believe that every child is worthy of high-quality arts training, and that our unique pedagogy can help students in all aspects of their academic, personal, and professional lives through engendering strong interpersonal communication skills, body and mind awareness, critical thinking and problem solving, and aids in fostering and growing their creativity and capacity for collaboration.

The best way to engage your students is through our captivating BMX assembly. The Freestyle Connection’s school assembly program combines BMX stunts with powerful messages about bicycle safety, striving for excellence, embracing a drug-free healthy lifestyle, and the importance of staying in school. Designed for events like Red Ribbon Week, Field Days, Family Nights, or any occasion calling for a dynamic Character Education message or PBIS School Assembly, this outdoor program is unmatched. Give your school a show they will never forget! The Freestyle Connection BMX school assembly show involves ramp riding on a portable box jump and flatland ground moves for trick variations. Riders will switch on the microphone throughout the show which is choreographed to exciting music and incorporates BMX stunts, high-flying tricks, and humorous skits. This BMX show is roughly 40 minutes long. Indoor backup plan required for inclement weather.

In-School Residencies with Peter, Paul and George: Our dance workshops are well-suited addendums for elementary school students and high-school language students interested in learning more about their chosen culture. Homespun Occasions’ workshops encompass dances from more than 60 countries and regions around the world including the US, Latin America, Africa, Quebec, Scandinavia, Ireland, France, Turkey, China, Polynesia and Russia. These dance and music workshops can also be integrated with history and geography units. Peter Davis, Paul Rosenberg and George Wilson have been leading elementary and high school daytime workshops and residencies in traditional community dance and music, and playing for family and community dance evenings since 1994. Their repertoire consists primarily of contra, square and international folk dances accompanied by lively reels, jigs, polkas and waltzes. Their music and dances transform even the most adamant, grimacing youngsters declaring “I will never dance” into smiling dance-lovers asking, “When is the next dance?” Although they have worked as a trio since 1994, Peter and George have each been arts educators since the mid-1970s. All three are multi-instrumentalists. Instrumentation includes fiddle, banjo, clarinet, pennywhistle, recorder, piano, guitar and mandolin. Together they have performed and taught in over 700 schools around the Northeastern United States Family Dance Evening: One of our most popular offerings, the Family Dance, is a school-wide community celebration that involves everyone. Students, parents, siblings, teachers and administrators spend an evening dancing in time-honored traditions from around the world. If the evening is presented as the culminating activity after a school residency, students will be able to help teach their parents the dances they learned during the day. Parents are encouraged to get up and participate, and the high-spirited, toe-tapping music by Peter Davis and George Wilson make it impossible to sit on the sidelines! All dances are taught by “dancing master” Paul Rosenberg. Middle & High School Programs: TRADITIONAL DANCE AND MUSIC OF QUEBEC AND FRANCE FOR FRENCH LANGUAGE STUDENTS TRADITIONAL DANCE OF LATIN AMERICA AND SPAIN FOR SPANISH LANGUAGE STUDENTS TRADITIONAL DANCE OF GERMANY, ITALY, RUSSIA AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD FOR OTHER LANGUAGE STUDENTS Square dancing originated in France! When settlers from France and western Europe came to the new world, they brought their quadrilles (square dance formation), their fiddles and their dances. The cultural heritage of Francophone America is brought to life in this dynamic participatory workshop. Accompanied by the energetic Quebecois fiddling of George Wilson and the pulsating rhythmic piano and guitar of Peter Davis, Paul Rosenberg leads high school French students through a series of lively dances as he points out the origin of such phrases as “do-si-do” (which was originally “dos à dos” – back-to-back). Dances are in square, circle, and contra formations. This multidisciplinary workshop encompasses language, history, geography, physical education and, of course, music! In Latin America, some dances were brought over by Spanish colonists, and others are ancient dances of native peoples who were influenced by Spanish culture. Many of these dances tend to be very energetic and lots of fun! Fiddle for Orchestra: Students Master fiddler George Wilson has developed a program for working with musicians in school orchestra programs. Students will be introduced to and instructed in the nuances of traditional fiddle styles. George has an extensive background playing tunes from Quebec (as well as Ireland, Scotland, Cape Breton/Nova Scotia, Appalachia, Scandinavia and the Shetland Islands). These traditional tunes include reels, jigs, hornpipes, schottisches, marches, polkas and waltzes. During instruction, George will focus on the rhythms and accents that give this traditional music its distinct feel. Sheet music for melody and harmony/accompaniment will be provided; George will also employ the more traditional method of teaching tunes by ear. Students will learn melody, harmony and accompaniment for each tune. The details of bowing, ornamentation, rhythm, and accents idiomatic to a style or tune will then be added. These workshops, rehearsals and sessions can be integrated with history and geography units as well as being aligned with the New York State Learning Standards in the areas of multicultural and traditional music, improvisation and playing solo or in an ensemble.